This application claims the benefit of the filing date of Canadian Patent Application No. 2,359,125 filed Oct. 12, 2001.
This invention relates to through-fittings for sealing around cables, tubes, sensors or the like. The invention may be embodied in junction boxes which may be installed and used below grade (and may also be used in other applications). The invention has particular application to junction boxes for telephone lines, cable television lines, fiber optic data communication lines, electrical circuits, and the like.
Underground junction boxes may remain buried for years. During that time they should protect their contents against the entry of ground water. It is known to completely fill underground junction boxes with a water-displacing medium such as grease. This is messy, however, both at the time the junction box is filled with grease and later if it becomes necessary to access any components or conductors inside the junction box.
There is a need for cost-effective, durable junction boxes suitable for use in below-grade applications. There is also a general need for through-fittings capable of sealing around a cable or the like at the point where the cable passes through a bulkhead.
This invention provides through-fittings which may be used to seal around cables or the like. The invention also provides junction boxes equipped with such through-fittings and methods for sealing around cables or the like.
Accordingly, one aspect of the invention provides a through-fitting for a cable or the like. The through-fitting comprises a stub having a bore; an annular seal within the bore; and a cap in threaded engagement with the stub. The cap is movable between a first position and a second position. A sleeve is disposed within the bore and has an inwardly-angled end surface. The sleeve is movable axially within the bore relative to the annular seal in response to motion of the cap. When the cap is in the first position, the seal is not substantially compressed. When the cap is in the second position, the end surface of the sleeve compresses the seal radially inwardly. In addition or in the alternative, the end surface of the sleeve may compress a portion of the seal radially outwardly. In some embodiments the sleeve is attached to the cap so that it moves axially as the cap is screwed onto the stub. In such embodiments the sleeve may be formed integrally with the cap, or affixed to the cap by an adhesive, snap fastening, threading, plastic welding, or other suitable fastening means.
In some embodiments of the invention the through-fitting comprises a chamber and a passageway communicating between the chamber and the bore. The chamber has a variable volume. When the cap is in the first position the chamber has a first volume and when the cap is in the second position the chamber has a second volume smaller than the first volume. In such embodiments a sealant such as grease, silicone grease, gel and other types of sealing materials well known in the art may be extruded from the chamber into the bore as the cap is tightened.
The through-fitting may comprise a burst member blocking the passage. The burst member may, for example, comprise a thin plastic member blocking an aperture in the sleeve.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method for sealing a through-fitting around a cable. The method comprises: passing a cable through the through-fitting; compressing a seal in the through-fitting against the cable; and, extruding a sealant around the cable within the through-fitting. Both compressing the seal and extruding the sealant are performed by threading a cap onto the through-fitting.
Further aspects of the invention and features of specific embodiments of the invention are described below.